Business Information Analysis

CONTENT:

This module is an introduction to the mutually dependent business topics of mathematics and information technology. It provides motivation for the use of these topics in business problem solving, and emphasises their need for one another. These days one would not use mathematics to solve a business problem without the aid of information technology, and equally importantly one cannot efficiently or effectively use information technology without mathematics. The module will be delivered using a problem-centric approach. The students will be required to design and create models using information technology to solve  usinessrelated problems.

Topics covered include:

• Fundamental mathematical abstractions such as sets, relations and functions, and their importance when using software
• Representing information in application software such as spreadsheets, databases and on the internet
• Analysing data using descriptive statistics and information technology
• Creating effective models using appropriate mathematics and technology that support the solution of a business-related problem
• Using effective models to solve business-related problems and to communicate the solution 

Autumn Semester:

• Mathematics use in Business and its dependence on IT.
• Introduction to spreadsheets and their dependence on mathematics, descriptive statistics and recording data in a spreadsheet
• Types of data and how they may be analysed
• Types of frequency distribution and generating them in a spreadsheet
• Analysing Quantitative Data
• Summarising data – importance to business
• Measures of central tendency and variability
• Introduction to sets, databases, relations, and functions
• Querying a Database

Spring Semester:

• Querying a Database (continued)
• Propositional logic-Predicating as Boolean-valued functions
• Application of Predicates in Spreadsheets and Databases
• Probability Theories and distributions and HTML/CSS
• Analysing Probability Distributions / Redesigning a Website
• Open Source Software and TCP / IP
• DNS and HTTP

TEACHING:

Weekly 4-hour interactive sessions, typically in 2 hour blocks.

ASSESSMENT:

• Study Option 1:
  • In-class assessments (50%) This is a series of five short-answer in-class tests, scheduled throughout the year to provide students with opportunities to get rapid feedback and  opportunities to feed this forward to subsequent learning.
  • Individual take-away written assignment (50%) The assignment will be introduced in the first semester and will be submitted midway through the second semester. The maximum word count is 3,000 words.
• Study Option 2:
  • In-class tests (50%)
  • Individual assignment (50%)